CHESTER, Pa. -- The six teenage girls who allegedly planned and carried out a vicious attack on a mentally ill woman, which they videoed and posted on Facebook, were all in custody Friday, facing felony assault and related offenses as adults.

Four of the six have already been arraigned and are being held in Delaware County prison on 10 percent of $50,000 bail. Anye Dennis, Rahmiyah Henderson and Janyea Bell, all three 16, and Jamia Davis, 15, were arrested Thursday and spent the night in Chester City's lockup. Davis and Bell are sisters.

A fifth suspect, Jasmir "Jazzy" Womack, 17, surrendered to authorities Friday. Takia Nicole Edwards, 19, was taken into custody some time Friday afternoon as well. Both Edwards and Womack were awaiting arraignment Friday night.

Attorney Enrique Latoison is representing Dennis. Contacted by phone Friday night, he said his immediate plan was to begin steps to have his client returned to juvenile court. Dennis surrendered to authorities under his advisement to her parents.

Advertisement

"My client has never been in trouble before. She is 16. She is very remorseful about the situation," Latoison said.

Police said the brutal attack took place sometime between 8 and 10 p.m. Tuesday at the victim's apartment in the 1100 block of Morton Avenue.

In the video, the victim was seen in the background sitting on her front steps as the suspects rapped about what they were about to do to her. Then the six girls calmly walked over to the victim and, with the cellphone recording their actions, pounced on the woman, punching and kicking her as she screamed.

"What I saw was atrocious," said Chester Mayor John Linder during a press conference at police headquarters on Friday. "It was an attack. It was a vicious attack, and in my opinion unprovoked."

Magisterial District Judge Dawn Vann originally arraigned four of the suspects in the cell block in Chester Police Headquarters on Friday morning. After several media representatives protested and Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan spoke to the judge, they were arraigned, a second time, in a courtroom before their family, law enforcement officials and the press. Each of the four girls, who were handcuffed and shackled, told the judge they had no prior criminal record.

Vann said she took the recommendation of the bail interviewer and set bail at 10 percent of $50,000 for each defendant. If they post $5,000 bail, they were ordered to have no contact with the victim and must be placed on electronic home monitoring.

Whelan told Vann that the case has been assigned to Assistant District Attorney George Dawson, head of the Anti-violence Task Force. The tentative date for the suspects' preliminary hearings is Monday.

When asked if any of the girls showed remorse during the hours they spent in the city's holding cells, police Commissioner Joseph Bail scoffed.

"Arrogant," was how he described their demeanor.

"They threatened a police officer," the commissioner said. "There may be additional charges filed as a result of their actions."

According to Latoison, his client is remorseful and indicated she was raised better than to be involved in this situation.

"She is crying, she is upset," he said. "She didn't know she was being charged as an adult ... she didn't understand" the legal process, his role as her attorney or the proceedings ahead of her.

"She knows she is not going anywhere," he said, referring to her incarceration.

Latoison said he saw the video. "It is bad," he conceded. Without making any justification for it, Latoison went on to say that the parties involved all know each other, and this client had been inside the woman's residence before, socially.

"They are all neighbors," he said.

According to Latoison, his client was not aware that the woman may have been mental challenged.

"It's not readily apparent the lady has issues of some sort," he said.

Latoison spoke of a prior incident involving the woman, but declined to elaborate.

Contrary to police, Latoison does not believe his client made physical contact with the victim on the night in question. Police allege Dennis is not only seen but heard striking the woman with a shoe.

According to Latoison, his client was the first one out of the house, and the last one to enter.

"She is not one of the girls beating on the lady," he said.

Whelan said the disturbing actions of the six teenagers would not be tolerated, adding that the charges against them are "serious felony charges."

"The message is clear. If you're going to act violently, if your behavior is equivalent to animalist behavior we will treat you accordingly," Whelan said. "We're going to treat you as adults in the criminal just system and you will be subject to punishment of the criminal justice system."

A number of women -- mothers, aunts and grandmothers -- were in the courtroom for the brief proceeding. One woman, Henderson's mother, called out to her daughter, a petite young teenager, as she was being escorted out of the courtroom.

After her daughter disappeared behind the door, the mother began to cry. She said she saw the video and saw her daughter at the beginning, rapping.

Other relatives of some of the suspects expressed anger that their children were arrested before they were notified.

One woman, angry at questions from the media, claimed the girls were just "acting like kids."

"It's not like they killed somebody," she said, declining to give her name.

In addition to aggravated assault and conspiracy, the young suspects are also charged with simple assault, recklessly endangering another, harassment, burglary, criminal trespass, possession of an instrument of crime.

Authorities said the 48-year-old victim is recovering from the ordeal and is staying in an undisclosed location.